springdellgirl

Great Books For Christmas Break


It is finally Christmas Break...my shopping is done; my baking is done; my Christmas cards are sent out; the kids are out of school; I gave my talk in Sacrament Meeting today that has been looming over my head. Now it is time to kick back and enjoy the holidays. Bring on a cup of hot cocoa with my favorite coconut creamer, a cozy blanket and a good book.

If perchance you need a good book...here you go! These books are fun reads. I enjoyed them all.

First up...

This book was recommended to me by my sister, Stacey, who said that she could not put this book down. I couldn't put this book down either. It is a creepy page turning ghost story. Intrigued?

From Penguin.com: The Little Stranger follows the strange adventures of Dr. Faraday, the son of a maid who has built a life of quiet respectability as a country doctor. One dusty postwar summer in his home of rural Warwickshire, he is called to a patient at Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for more than two centuries, the Georgian house, once grand and handsome, is now in decline-its masonry crumbling, its gardens choked with weeds, the clock in its stable yard permanently fixed at twenty to nine. But are the Ayreses haunted by something more ominous than a dying way of life? Little does Dr. Faraday know how closely, and how terrifyingly, their story is about to become entwined with his.

This book is beautifully and elegantly written. I loved the atmospheric story-telling. I was intrigued by the Ayres family and their 1940's post-war identity crisis. I was drawn into their dilapidated home and crumbling lives. I am not a fan of scary stories but this one had just the right amount of creepiness while still making you doubt if it actually is in fact a ghost story or a dark tale of psychological obsession...or both. Much of this story is subtle rather than shocking and it takes a few days to digest the story completely. Our narrator is not the most sympathetic of characters and one doubts his "reliability" through out the book. I also loved that the book...on another level...is a commentary about social change and the decline of the British upper classes.

To be honest, when I finished this book I wasn't sure I loved it. But after mulling it over for a few days the answer is, yes I do. In thinking more and more about who the actual villain of the story is, reality versus perceived reality, and the many layers of Waters complex storytelling the tale has only grown more chilling.

I highly recommend this book. It would be wonderful to discuss in book club. The murky ending may at first be disappointing but on further contemplation it becomes completely satisfying.You will definitely have something to think about and you will want to discuss it.

My Rating: Excellent

Second:


This book has so far been my favorite book of the year. I loved it. I loved absolutely everything about it. This has everything I enjoy: set in Victorian England, a creepy manor house, mystery, several generations of an aristocratic family with secrets, a ghost, a hidden garden. Perfect for October.

From Booklist:

In 1913, a little girl arrives in Brisbane, Australia, and is taken in by a dockmaster and his wife. She doesn’t know her name, and the only clue to her identity is a book of fairy tales tucked inside a white suitcase. When the girl, called Nell, grows up, she starts to piece together bits of her story, but just as she’s on the verge of going to England to trace the mystery to its source, her grandaughter, Cassandra, is left in her care. When Nell dies, Cassandra finds herself the owner of a cottage in Cornwall, and makes the journey to England to finally solve the puzzle of Nell’s origins. Shifting back and forth over a span of nearly 100 years, this is a sprawling, old-fashioned novel, as well-cushioned as a Victorian country house, replete with family secrets, stories-within-stories, even a maze...--Mary Ellen Quinn

I loved this book!! It was a delight to read. I would say that in many respects it reminded me of The Thirteenth Tale. If you liked that book you would probably enjoy this one as well. I enjoyed the mystery of uncovering Nell's past. I enjoyed flipping back and forth through the different time periods...which surprisingly I enjoyed equally as each time period helped uncover the clues to her past. I enjoyed each of the different voices and their individual perspectives. I felt that the book was beautifully written...the characters were well developed...and I enjoyed the gentle pace of the narrative. Was the conclusion a complete surprise? No, but that did not diminish my joy in reading this book. I also thought that the dark fairy tales with hidden clues that were splashed throughout the story were an added treat.

Our book club enjoyed discussing this book and even had quite a lively debate as to the true feelings of Nathaniel and I had to drag my husband (he read it at my request) out of the family room and into the discussion to break the tie...and guess what? He sided against me!!
My rating: Excellent

Third:

I cannot say enough about what a refreshing surprise this book was. Not at all your typical celebrity biography. Not even close. I was amazed at what a well-written and engaging book it was. I had enjoyed the movie Julie and Julia, particularly the biographical parts about Julia Child, and so I decided to put this book on hold at the library. I am so glad I did. This book is not just for foodies and those with a passion for the culinary arts but for everyone who enjoys a good love story, food, arm-chair travel to exotic locales, humor, and fantastic stories about unique and eccentric people in an interesting time period...postwar France.

From Barnes and Noble.com:

"In her own words, here is the captivating story of Julia Child's years in France, where she fell in love with French food and found her true calling. From the moment the ship docked in Le Havre in the fall of 1948 and Julia watched the well-muscled stevedores unloading the cargo to the first perfectly soigné meal that she and her husband, Paul, savored in Rouen en route to Paris, where he was to work for the USIS, Julia had an awakening that changed her life. Soon this tall, outspoken gal from Pasadena, California, who didn't speak a word of French and knew nothing about the country, was steeped in the language, chatting with purveyors in the local markets, and enrolled in the Cordon Bleu. After managing to get her degree despite the machinations of the disagreeable directrice of the school, Julia started teaching cooking classes herself, then teamed up with two fellow gourmettes, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, to help them with a book they were trying to write on French."

This book is easily one of my favorite reads of the year. It is funny and touching; passionate and spirited. I was laughing at the antics of the delightful Tois Gourmandes and sighing over her great love with Paul Child and their beautifully portrayed marriage. I loved her enthusiasm, spirit and joie de vivre .

This charming book will leave you longing for a trip to France, hungry for French cuisine, and inspired to follow your passions and for a life well lived.

I loved it!!

My rating: Excellent


Finally:


I read this several years ago for my book club and was struck by it's poignancy. It is definitely an eye opening read and one not easily forgotten. I highly recommend it.

My rating: Excellent

There you go. Four excellent books to curl up with on a cold winter's night.